Generalization is ... Term, concept ... What is generalization?

In the course of the process of thinking, there are four operations. In particular, they include division, definition, limitation and generalization of concepts. Each operation has its own peculiarities and patterns of flow. What is generalization? What is the difference between this process and others?

Definition

Generalization is a logical operation. By means of it, when a species attribute is excluded, a different definition results, which has a broader but substantially smaller content. Complicatingly, it can be said that generalization is a form of increment of knowledge through a mental transition to the general from the particular in a particular model of the world. This, as a rule, corresponds to the transition to a higher level of abstraction. The result of the logical operation under consideration will be the hyperon.

general information

Simply put, generalization is a transition from species to generic concepts. For example, if you take the definition of "coniferous forest". Through the generalization, the result is a "forest". The resulting concept already has content, but the volume is much broader. The content became smaller due to the fact that the word "coniferous" was removed - a species feature. It should be said that the original concept can be not only general, but also individual. For example, Paris. This concept is considered single. When making the transition to the definition of "European capital", then there will be a "capital", then a "city". This logical operation can be attacked by various definitions. For example, a generalization of work experience. In this case, through a transition from the particular to the general, the comprehension of activity takes place. The generalization of experience is often used when there is a large accumulation of methodological and other material. Thus, excluding gradually the characteristic features that are inherent in the subject, there is a movement towards the greatest expansion of the conceptual volume. As a result, the content is sacrificed in favor of abstraction.

Features

We have considered such a notion as generalization. Its goal is to remove the original definition from its characteristic features as much as possible. It is desirable in this case that the process takes place as gradually as possible, that is, the transition should take place in the direction of the closest species that has the widest content. Generalization is not an unlimited definition. As its limit is a certain general category. This concept, which has the maximum breadth of volume. Such categories include philosophical definitions: "matter", "being", "consciousness", "idea", "movement", "property" and others. In connection with the fact that these concepts do not have ancestral affiliation, generalization of them is not possible.

Generalization as a problem for artificial intelligence

The formulation of the problem was carried out by Rosenblatt. In the process of experimenting with a "pure generalization" from the perceptron or the brain model, it was necessary to go over to one stimulus from the selective response to a stimulus similar to it, but not activating any of the former sensory endings. A weaker type of task may, for example, be the requirement to extend the response of the system to components of the category of similar incentives that are not necessarily separated from the previously shown (or perceived to the touch or heard before) stimulus. In this case, it is possible to investigate spontaneous generalization. In this process, the criteria of analogy are not imposed by the experimenter or are not introduced from the outside. It is also possible to study and compulsory generalization, in which the researcher "teaches" the system the concepts of similarity.

Limitation

This logical operation is the opposite of generalization. And if the second process is a gradual detachment from the attributes peculiar to a specific object, then the restriction, on the contrary, is intended to enrich the set of characteristics. This logical operation involves reducing the volume based on the content expansion. The restriction ends at the moment when a single concept appears. This definition is characterized by the most complete volume and content, where only one subject (object) is assumed.

conclusions

The considered operations of generalization and limitation are processes of abstraction and concretization within the boundaries from a single definition to philosophical categories. These processes contribute to the development of thinking, cognition of objects and phenomena, their interactions.

Through the use of generalizations and limitations of concepts, the thought process proceeds more clearly, consistently and clearly. At the same time, it is not necessary to confuse the considered logical operations with the separation of a part from the whole and the consideration of the obtained part separately. For example, the car engine includes several parts (starter, air filter, carburetor and others). These elements, in turn, consist of other, smaller ones, and so on. In this example, the concept, which follows, is not a kind of the previous, but only its component element. In the process of generalization, characteristic features are discarded. Together with the decrease in content (due to the elimination of signs), the volume increases (since the definition becomes more general). In the process of limitation, on the contrary, the generic concept adds new and new species characteristics and attributes. In this regard, the volume of the definition itself decreases (as it becomes more specific), and the content, on the contrary, increases (due to the addition of characteristics).

Examples

In the educational process, generalizations are used in almost all cases where definitions are given through a species or generic difference. For example: "Sodium" - a chemical element. Or you can use the nearest genus: "Sodium" - metal. Another example of generalization:

1. A predatory mammal from the Dog family.
2. A predatory mammal.
3. Mammal.
4. Vertebrate.
5. Animal.
6. The organism.

Here is an example of a limitation in Russian:

1. Sentence.
2. Simple sentence.
3. A simple one-part sentence.
4. A simple one-part sentence with a predicate.